Don’t discredit me in the media: Ere

National, Normal

WABAG General Hospital acting CEO Salan Ere has called on Governor Peter Ipatas to come to a roundtable discussions instead of going to the media to discredit him.
Responding to Mr Ipatas’ call for his sacking in the media last week, Mr Ere said: “The governor should have talked to me and my management or the board.
“The call for my resignation is politically motivated and a personal attack on me.”
Mr Ere said his  appointment was attained on merits by the Public Services Commission after going through proper screening with recommendations from the Health Department and the hospital board.
Mr Ere told The National from Wabag last Friday he had a track record of prudent management of public institutions in the last three decades.
“I am a career public servant with the provincial health division for more than 30 years. I have worked up the ranks of the health sector and have nine years with the hospital at the management level.”
The CEO said  under his leadership, the hospital had seen many improvements and for the governor to criticise his performances in the media was unacceptable.
“If the governor feels that I have mismanaged the hospital, then he should have called me and suggest ways to improve it.”
He said half of the K6.9 million allocated by the National Government went to personnel emoluments and it was insufficient to run the hospital with the balance.
Mr Ere also clarified that a CEOs position was not only for a medical doctor.
“The governor should understand that any CEO or professional for that matter can run a hospital. The Port Moresby General Hospital CEO is also not a doctor but he or she is capable of running a hospital,” he said.
He said the governor’s concern on doctors leaving the hospital was for special training reasons.
“Wabag General Hospital is not a training hospital for specialist doctors.
“Doctors that Mr Ipatas had referred to had left for specialist training. We don’t have the capacity for specialist raining.
“Doctors have their own ambitions to purse and we cannot hold them back when they request to leave for specialist training.”
Mr Ere said the K3 million funds from the provincial government was misleading.
“From records, there were no such millions received from the provincial government. When and where did his government give such money to the hospital?
“He needs to come clean and tell the people of Enga about the K3 million,” Mr Ere said.
Attempts to reach Mr Ipatas were unsuccessful.